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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476237">A Hero's Fate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitteringvoid/pseuds/glitteringvoid'>glitteringvoid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Drarry Drabble Challenge [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(referenced and implied only), Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Drarry Discord Writers Corner Drabble Challenge, Enemies to Friends, M/M, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Starvation, kind of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:47:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitteringvoid/pseuds/glitteringvoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Officially, the war is over. All that is left to do now, is the clean-up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Drarry Drabble Challenge [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1394503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Hero's Fate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the September Drabble Challenge<br/>Prompt: Journey<br/>Word count: 325</p><p>Thank you at Jay for reassuring me this is indeed sufficiently heartbreaking and at Cigale, for her suggestions on how to make it even more so.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun shines without sympathy, burning bright and cheerful for this final transport. Harry Potter, freeing the world of filth and taking the last Death-Eaters to Azkaban. Hero, executioner; just as prophesied. One last time. </p><p>“Potter, came to gloat?” Malfoy looks gaunt, brittle. </p><p>“No, I'm here to make sure you don’t run away.”</p>
<hr/><p>Malfoy only tries running once. Ill-planned and out of principle. The desperate action of a dying man, hoping to shape his fate. </p><p>Harry doesn’t let him get far before stopping him. He has to carry Malfoy after that. </p><p>He barely weighs anything.</p>
<hr/><p>“Why are you doing this, Potter?” They don’t talk much, lost in their own minds, dreaming themselves far away. Until Malfoy asks. </p><p>Malfoy isn't the first to try appealing to Harry’s perceived kindness, plead for mercy. </p><p>But Malfoy doesn’t beg. Harry would have ignored him anyway.</p>
<hr/><p>Why indeed? </p><p>Duty. Justice. Integrity. </p><p>That’s what the people need — a strong hero leading them forwards. </p><p>It’s Harry’s fate, isn’t it? Being the hero they need?</p>
<hr/><p>They didn’t give Malfoy enough provisions for the journey. He is weak, stumbling, pride the last thing holding him up. Meeting death with his head held high. </p><p>Harry hates watching him, hates how he has grown numb to suffering.</p>
<hr/><p>Harry starts sharing his food. Neither of them acknowledges it.</p>
<hr/><p>“I’m scared.” A confession. Harry thinks, half-amused, it could have come from either of them.</p>
<hr/><p>Harry leads them on a detour, postpones the inevitable, just a bit.</p>
<hr/><p>“I thought about running away.” A vain delusion. They both think of little else. </p><p>“You shouldn’t tell me these things.” Harry should kill him. Absconding is punishable by death. </p><p>“Why not?” </p><p>“I’m not your friend, Malfoy.” </p><p>“Aren’t you?” </p><p>Harry doesn’t answer. He can’t.</p>
<hr/><p>Malfoy makes him smile, sometimes. Increasingly often. </p><p>Friends. They might just be.</p>
<hr/><p>Harry’s wand trembles, trained on Malfoy. Malfoy’s hand is steady, offered to Harry. </p><p>“Come with me?”</p>
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